GRAPEVINE — The 2014 Mid-South Ruminant Nutrition Conference will be held April 23-24 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Grapevine, 2401 Bass Pro Drive, said conference coordinators.

The 2014 Mid-South Ruminant Nutrition Conference will be held April 23-24 at the Embassy Suites Hotel n Grapevine. The conference provides attendees with information on the dairy industry, as well as new technologies and best management practices. (Texas AgriLIfe Research photo by Dr. Pablo Pinedo)

The program is presented by the Texas Animal Nutrition Council and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in cooperation with various cattle and dairy industry groups, associations and businesses.

“These conferences provide a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn about the most recent developments in ruminant nutrition and from some of the nation’s foremost experts,” said Dr. Ellen Jordan, Agrilife Extension dairy specialist based in Dallas and member of the conference planning committee. “They consistently draw over a hundred people from the dairy industry and associated businesses and organizations across the U.S.”

Jordan, also a member of the Texas Animal Nutrition Council, said the conference will provide attendees with important information on the future of the dairy industry and on the technologies and management practices that will help ensure adequate milk supplies for a growing global population.

She said conference programming has been approved for six continuing education units from the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiner and seven continuing education units from the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists.

The April 23 program will be from noon-4:30 p.m. and will address human versus animal nutrition, particularly fact and fiction about food and feed.

Lunch, which is included in program registration, will be from noon-1 p.m., followed by topics and presenters to include:

— Milk, Milk Fat and Human Health: Challenging Popular Misperceptions, Dr. Adam L. Lock, Michigan State University. Lock will address milk and human health, as well as the impact of changing management techniques on milk composition.

— The Interface Between Animal and Human Health: Antibiotic Use, Resistance and Controversy, Dr. Guy Loneragan, Texas Tech University. Loneragan will discuss the use of antibiotics in food animal production and the potential impacts on antibiotic resistant microbes, as well as explore the relationship between antibiotic use and resistance.

— A Decade of Algae Technology R&D: Hopes, Hypes and How Animal Ag May Benefit, Dr. Peter J. Lammers, New Mexico State University. Lammers will discuss an algae-based co-product of biodiesel production that may have use as an animal feed and risks associated with the introduction of this new feed product.

Presentations will be followed by the Texas Animal Nutrition Council meeting at 4:30 p.m., then a reception to begin at 5:35 p.m. that will include light hors d’oeuvres.

The April 24 program will be from 8 a.m.-noon and will focus on nutrition efficiency.

Topics and presenters for that morning will be:

— Maximized Feed Intake: Access and Consumption, Dr. Trevor DeVries, University of Guelph, Kemptville Campus. DeVries will discuss how to maximize feed intake without compromising the health and well-being of the animals and ways to enhance access and consumption; thereby improving animal well-being.

— Production Efficiency and Sustainability of the Cattle Industry, Dr. Frank M. Mitloehner, University of California – Davis. Mitloehner will speak about the growth and environmental impact of the dairy industry, including how to decrease the carbon footprint and improve sustainability by increasing feed efficiency.

— Using Models on Dairy Farms-How Well Do They Work? Dr. Larry E. Chase, Cornell University. Chase will discuss and compare different nutritional systems in differing environmental situations and how well they may predict animal performance.

— An Economic Comparison of Conventional vs. Intensive Heifer Rearing, Dr. Michael W. Overton, Elanco. Overton will present performance data as well as health data from multiple locations to evaluate the economic returns from switching to an intensive heifer rearing program and share this comprehensive analysis with the audience.

Regular conference registration is $175 per individual. Early registration postmarked by April 2 is $150. There are no group rates. Make checks payable to Texas Animal Nutrition Council and mail to TANC, Dr. Ellen Jordan, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, 17360 Coit Road, Dallas, Texas 75252-6599.

For online registration using a credit card, go to the Texas Animal Nutrition Council website.

Embassy Suites is offering a special conference rate of $145 per night if rooms are reserved on or before April 2, Jordan said. For reservations call 1-800-EMBASSY or 972-724-2600.